Leaving at Noon (10 page)

She nodded against him and tightened her
arms. “It really does.”

The scent of Banana Boat sunscreen and
Zoey’s grapefruit-and-lemon shampoo floated on the air. So absorbed
was he in the feel and smell of his wife, it took a few moments for
Theo to comprehend the wetness between her cheek and his chest.
“You’re crying?”

She nodded again.

“
Why?”

“
Because as…as good as
this feels, it d-doesn’t fix what’s broken.”

“
It’s a start.”
Perspiration beaded on Theo’s forehead. “Zo?”

She hiccupped. “Yeah?”

“
Do you want us to fix
what’s broken?”

Zoey burrowed her face in his chest and
cried harder. “I… I’m not sure.”

Zoey ran a hand through her hair, checked
her mascara for smudges and blinked again and again. It didn’t
help. Her eyes were still bloodshot from the tears she’d spilled
that afternoon.

She sprayed perfume on her wrist, dabbed her
wrists together, then touched them to either side of her neck. Theo
would approve of the scent. He always approved when she wore Angel.
It inspired the Nuzzler
.

Exactly what it sounded like, the Nuzzler
usually involved Theo burying his nose in her neck and treating her
to soft, teasing kisses and gentle scrapes of his teeth against her
skin. He didn’t restrict this particular kiss to her neck though.
Wherever Theo burrowed his nose, he nuzzled.

The Nuzzler ranked above the Chastity—his
closed-lip, chaste kiss—but below the Slow-burn. Although, when
Theo began nuzzling, it often turned into a Slow-burn.

As she inhaled the scent, she listened to
the muffled voices beyond the closed door. Theo was talking to
Fiona in the lounge room. He’d rung the bell a few minutes ago, and
Zoey, suffering from another severe attack of nerves, had left
Fiona to answer.

She’d been an emotional wreck on the beach.
The pressure and stress of the last few months, combined with
seeing her husband again, had taken their toll. Zoey had lost it.
But what better place to lose it than in the arms of the man she
trusted with her life and her future? The man she could rely on to
never abuse the emotions and trust she shared with him.

Which was probably the reason she’d cried so
hard. Theo
had
abused those emotions and that trust—just
like she’d abused his.

It was also the reason Zoey didn’t know if
she wanted to fix what was broken. She wasn’t sure she could find a
way to forgive him for everything he’d said to her. And she doubted
he could forgive her.

Theo’s solution to her uncertainty? He’d
asked her out on a date. A real, proper, no-kidding date, involving
him coming to Fiona’s place to collect and escort her to a
restaurant where he’d made dinner reservations.

Zoey hadn’t been on a date since she and
Theo had gotten serious. She had no idea how to date anymore. It
wasn’t a skill that had needed polishing anytime recently. How
should she act? What would they talk about?

Zoey didn’t have time to worry about it
further. Footsteps sounded in the hallway, then she heard Theo ask,
“This door?”

Fiona must have responded in the
affirmative, because seconds later, he knocked.

Attempting to swallow down her nerves, Zoey
wiped sweaty palms on the skirt of her dress and opened the
door.

“
Zo,” Theo said in
greeting.

It took a while before she could respond.
Theo looked so good, she forgot how to talk.

It wasn’t that he’d made any more effort
than usual to get ready. It was that Zoey hadn’t appreciated how
incredibly hot her husband was in…ages.

Mustard chinos lovingly embraced his long,
strong legs and sat low on his hips, and a navy T-shirt stretched
across his shoulders, emphasizing their magnificent breadth while
showing off his muscled arms and trim waist. Today’s sun had kissed
his skin, deepening his already golden tan. His expression was
serious, his lips luscious, and he regarded her with a broody,
blue-eyed gaze.

It was the broodiness that took her breath.
For so long she’d seen only anger or disinterest. Tonight he stared
at her with a pensive intensity, giving her no hint of his
thoughts.

“
Hi,” she
whispered.

Theo took a long moment to look her over. He
searched her eyes as though seeking answers to questions he hadn’t
yet asked. When his gaze dropped to her mouth and his tongue darted
out and touched his lower lip, Zoey’s belly dipped.

His scrutiny of her body was equally
thorough. Theo took in every inch of the emerald-green dress she
wore. It wasn’t one he’d seen before. Zoey had bought it on a
shopping spree three weekends back. She’d spent hours in Westfield
Bondi Junction one Sunday morning. Not because she’d needed
clothes, she’d just been loath to return home.

The dress was low cut enough that Zoey
couldn’t wear a bra. It was also low cut enough that if she leaned
too far forward, Theo would glimpse a significant amount of
breast—which was probably the reason she wore it tonight. A large
part of her wanted him to glimpse her breasts. She wished he’d show
the kind of fascination with them he used to.

The soft silk of the short skirt clung to
her ass and floated over her thighs without reaching her knees. One
good blast of wind, and it would likely fly up to expose a lot of
butt cheek. She’d have to be vigilant about that.

The shoes were new too. Strappy silver
sandals with a sexy heel. They weren’t high enough that she’d
struggle to walk, but they added a couple inches to her legs,
making them look longer and maybe even a little more toned.

She knew Theo would approve of those.

When his gaze finally returned to her face,
appreciation accompanied the broodiness. “You look good.”

She offered him a shy smile. “You do
too.”

He stepped into the bedroom, shutting the
door behind him.

“
You smell good
too.”

“
It’s Angel. Your
favorite.”

The broodiness got broodier. “You put it on
for me?”

Zoey chewed her lip and nodded, tasting the
lipstick she’d just applied.

He held out his hand. “Wanna come closer so
I can get a better smell?”

Tentatively placing her palm in his much
bigger one, Zoey stepped forward. Her heart pounded, and her hand
trembled. Damn shakes. They gave away everything she struggled to
hide.

Theo leaned in, inhaled deeply and closed
his eyes. “Mm.”

“
Like it?”

“
Yeah, babe.” His voice
was gruff. He leaned closer, burrowing his nose in her neck while
lining his body up to hers. “I really like it.” He cupped her ass,
pulled her against his growing erection and pressed soft lips to
her neck. “Turns me on.”

Zoey’s response was an inarticulate whimper.
How could she talk when her husband’s hard dick was prodding her
belly?

Theo’s mouth played over her skin, his lips
sending hot chills down her spine.

Oh yeah. Theo sure knew how to get that slow
burn going.

The problem was, the emotions roiling in her
belly had nothing to do with a slow burn. With his face tucked into
her neck, his erection nestling against her stomach and his
intoxicating male scent muddling her senses, the Nuzzler sent her
body into full-on meltdown.

Zoey was aroused. She was hot, she was
panting and she was wet.

Her breasts tightened, and the silk of her
dress tortured her braless nipples. Coupled with the way Theo
cupped her ass cheeks, massaging them as he rocked her against his
rigid cock, Zoey’s arousal accelerated from zero to a hundred in
the time it took him to scrape his teeth from the base of her ear
to the pulse beating in her neck.

Now it wasn’t just her hands trembling. Her
knees wobbled, and her arms shook so hard she almost couldn’t lift
them.

Somehow she managed, winding one around his
waist and spearing her other through his hair. Goose bumps covered
her flesh. Her hand tunneled under his shirt so she could feel the
heat of his skin and hard muscle in his back.

The hair on his cheeks and chin abraded her
skin, ramping up her need. Theo hadn’t shaved, which meant he
wasn’t wearing aftershave, so that intoxicating scent was all him.
One-hundred-proof Theo.

“
Theo.” His name was a
prayer and a blessing all in one. Even in her hyped-up state, Zoey
could hear the desire in her voice. The plea.

Languidly, he pulled back to look into her
eyes.

Knowing she could express more with her
beseeching gaze than with her tongue-tied speech, Zoey stared up at
him, enthralled. His blue eyes had darkened further—as they always
did when he was aroused—and his nostrils flared with every breath
he took.

“
Babe,” he murmured
hoarsely.

Zoey could do no more than voice a needy
moan.

And then Theo was kissing her, his lips
pressing against hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth and his
arms holding her tight. His technique was superlative, his
seduction exhilarating.

It was a kiss designed to inflame and to
stun. The hunger with which he devoured her incited an insatiable
longing in Zoey. She was ravenous for his taste, his tongue, his
titillation, and she was dazed by his expertise and ability. His
greedy mouth thrilled and excited, rousing the wanton woman
within.

His kiss stirred something so basic and so
carnal inside her, Zoey burned. Fire licked at her belly, and
lower, a storm brewed. A tempestuous squall, demanding release,
insisting on satisfaction.

This was a kiss unlike any Theo had ever
bestowed on her. This one threw her off guard, knocked her off
balance and made her crave him like an addict craved crack. This
kiss inspired a yearning so profound, she feared she might die if
Theo didn’t assuage it. She kissed him back, her mouth demanding,
her tongue insistent.

Theo ignored her demands. He mastered her,
mastered the kiss, driving her deeper into a state of all-consuming
need.

And then the hands cupping her ass were
shoving her dress up, moving it out of the way. When they returned,
and he pressed his bare hands to her exposed butt cheeks, he hauled
her ever closer to his hard cock, sliding her up and down its
length, tormenting her clit. As his lips and tongue continued their
path of domination, his fingers skimmed across her buttocks,
feathering between her legs, until they trailed over the middle of
her now-sodden g-string.

Her entire body spasmed. Electricity bolted
through her veins.

Theo groaned into her mouth and broke the
kiss to rasp against her lips. “So damn sexy.”

She squeezed her legs together, trapping his
fingers between her thighs and grinding down against them, needing
him to touch, entice and gratify her.

“
You wet for me,
Zo?”

Her answer was a dry sob.

He dragged his cheek over hers, chafing her
skin before whispering in her ear. “Want me to touch you, babe?
Want me to stroke your pussy?”

Powerless to talk, Zoey dug her nails into
his back.

He nipped her earlobe. “Say the words. Tell
me what you want.”

She dug her nails in deeper, clawing at him.
If her desperate grinding against his hand wasn’t answer enough,
God knew what would be.

“
Say it out loud.” He
kneaded her buttock, a finger sinking between her cheeks to tease
her most hidden part.

“
P-please.” It was all she
was capable of.

“
Please what?”

“
Please…Theo.” She raked
her nails over his back and forcibly unclenched her thighs. “Touch
me.”

His low, satisfied laugh vibrated through
her ear, and he slipped his fingers inside her g-string, running
them along her engorged folds.

Theo hadn’t touched her intimately in weeks.
Months. The contact was as foreign as it was familiar, and it just
about scorched her. Her gasp was so loud, Theo had to shush
her.

“
Don’t want Fiona
hearing,” he whispered in warning.

God, no.
That would be
embarrassing.

Zoey bit down hard on her lower lip,
stemming her moans.

He nuzzled her earlobe as he slid a finger
inside her pussy.

This time it wasn’t her thighs clamping down
on his hand, it was her inner muscles clenching around him,
trapping him inside her. Liquid spilled onto his fingers, evidence
of her heated desire.

“
Yeah.” His voice was a
rumble of approval. “Wet for me.” Theo withdrew, only to plunge
back in with two fingers.

Didn’t matter how hard she bit her lip, she
couldn’t contain her cry of pleasure. It bounced off the walls,
echoing through the room.

“
Zoey! Fuck.” He sounded
as undone as she felt. He fucked her with his hand, withdrawing his
fingers only to thrust them back in, over and over.

She moaned his name and groaned too loud,
leaving Theo with no choice but to kiss her into silence. And kiss
her he did, with that masterful skill that left her throbbing.

It didn’t take long. Zoey was too aroused,
too starved of her husband’s touch to hold out. She needed him too
badly. The climax slammed into her, her excitement cresting and
breaking like a wave crashing to shore.

But for the mouth clamped to hers, she would
have yelled her relief to the world.

She came hard, her body buckling against
Theo’s, her release soaking his hand and her panties. And when the
deluge of bliss finally passed, she stood gasping in his arms,
trembling from head to toe.

Theo released her mouth to look into her
eyes. The broodiness was gone. All that remained was a heady
hunger. He seemed to devour her with his gaze.